More and more today the working context is the place where we all spend most of our time, where multiple personal dynamics are intertwined and where everyone has the right to feel the freedom to express their identity without suffering any discrimination.
The project Hair Has No Gender by Procter & Gamble and Pantenewhich since 2019 is committed to supporting the LGBTQI + community has dealt with issues that have passed from the intimate sphere to the family and, this year, in 2022, the topic addressed is precisely the impact that gender identity has in the world of work.
Hair also helps to tell stories and to implement the transformation of our emotional and social sphere, when one needs to show one’s true identity, spreading a culture of inclusion and equality. Because our society continues to need to share stories to eliminate cultural stigmas.
Hair, in fact, has a strong impact on each of us, it is not only physical, it also affects emotional well-being. They affect personal identity, self-esteem and trust, allow everyone to be themselves and release the positive power and energy that guides us every day.
Unfortunately, in relation to the workplace, there are still a series of problems when it comes to inclusion. Although the expression of one’s sexual orientation and identity should not have any relationship with work, still today involve some objective difficulties. According to WHO estimates, LGBTQI + people are at least 5% of the world population: the relevant social stigma linked to different sexual orientation and gender identity still forces the 53% of LGBTQI + workers, not to declare themselves in the workplace. To aggravate the situation is added the stress triggered by the fear of being discriminated against which can negatively affect the quality of work performance.
This is why it is necessary to raise awareness on the importance of allied workplaces, inclusive and safe in which employees belonging to the community LGBTQ + not only can they feel at ease, but truly themselves, recognized, appreciated and valued.
This year’s message of the campaign Hair Has No Gender is to communicate how important it is for working realities to cultivate within them a culture of acceptance and hospitality that is concretely translated into actions aimed at including and enhancing every person, whatever the gender they belong to. An environment that is truly capable of ensuring respect, acceptance and an authentic possibility for everyone to realize their professional growth potential beyond differences.
The workplace is also a space that we can all influence: we can all learn what we can do to show support – both as organizations, both as managers and as colleagues, so it is a place where we can all make a positive impact.
Together with qualified entities, the commitment is mainly realized in the realization of a Brand Act aimed at all employees, at any level, of the company and of all its brands.
A document that by establishing concepts, advice and suggestions that each employee will become an inclusion vademecum that everyone can draw on in everyday life in order to help build and spread an inclusive and egalitarian corporate culture.
A company that decides to work on these issues, investing time and resources, has the great opportunity to place itself in front of its competitors both in terms of reputation and motivation of its collaborators. The real challenge for employers, however, must go beyond the generic commitment to guaranteeing equal opportunities and consists in creating an environment that is truly capable of ensuring respect, acceptance and a genuine possibility for all to realize their professional growth potential at the beyond the differences.
This means building a place where everyone’s success is based solely on their talent, ability and quality of work performance and has nothing to do with personal characteristics such as gender, skills, age, ethnic origin. , sexual orientation or gender identity. A work culture under the banner of diversity it offers better financial prospects for companies, fosters innovation and greater creativity. Teams built on these principles benefit from new ideas, skills and higher levels of engagement that translate into better retention, productivity and effectiveness.
The European launch collected in a video the testimonies of extraordinarily strong and combative people together with their personal and professional stories and the path they have taken. 12 people belonging to the LGBTQ + community who despite coming from different countries (such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and Greece) and from different work contexts (among others assistant professor, lawyer, model, racing driver , stylist, carpenter, factory worker and artist), share very similar stories.
In the Italian version, a very emotional and intense video that explores the power of hair in the expression of identity and the value of support, both in language and in the personal approach, by friends, colleagues and employers collects the stories of Cathy La Torre, Lawyer, Erika Mattina, model & influencer, Silvano Caso, production plant clerk, Procter & Gamble Italy.
Together with P&G, Pantene and Associazione Libellula, Cathy and Silvano will also be protagonists, again on June 8, of an event streamed on the youtube channel of Pantene hair for the official presentation of the campaign and an Educational Hub dedicated to all employees.
Source: Vanity Fair
